"Arts With The Heart In Mind"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_LV5y4cpMc

Argumentative Speech .

Arts and Adolescents Life.

                “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” (Albert Einstein) The arts is a widely talked about topic. When, it comes to the to the creative arts the general talking points are whether or not to keep them in schools, are they really important, what purpose do they play, and etc. My paper is mainly going to focus on and show the benefits of art educationally and emotionally. This topic really hits home for me because many of my friends turn to art for many emotional things that they may have going on, but I also see how the incorporate the arts in their education to help them do better. I see how much passion, desire, and love they have when they are doing what they love the creative arts. When I see them pick up a pencil, paint brush, open their mouth to sing, go on stage or pick up instrument, they go into a whole different world. One of my closest friends says “Art is like your own personal world. It gives you the freedom to think how you want to think and express your points. It’s like my world; I feel free like I have no limits.” (Holly Holmes). I will admit before I became so close with these people I under estimated just how important the arts are some say seeing is believing and now I do believe the arts are really do make a huge difference, but I’m not the only one. The arts play a big part in many adolescences lives, and make a huge impact towards them not just educationally but emotionally.

            The arts help adolescents surpass in educational strive and achievement. Everyday people surpass academic expectation but could the arts have something to do with it? “Excellence with education and excellence in the arts seem to go hand in hand.” (Charles Fowler 1) While this is just an opinion, Charles Fowler is a college graduate and a priest he has looked into the aspect of this statement and researched it. “As a nation, we are close to reaching a collective understanding that all students benefit from the opportunity to learn about and experience the arts. Study of the arts in its many forms—whether as a stand-alone subject or integrated into the school curriculum— is increasingly accepted as an essential part of achieving success in school, work and life.” (Nassa-arts 1) Proof has been concluded that taking part in  the arts will in fact boost educational capability. “… The arts promote the development of valuable human neurobiological systems.” (Eric Jenson 5) The arts give strong educational ability all on their own. Through the fine arts your brain can develop faster and more precise. You can have a better understanding for things in everyday school life you might usually not.

Not only has the arts going hand in hand with education been researched but it has been scientifically researched through brain development processes which you would gather by the quote above. There is much research backing up the creative arts tying in with educational achievement.

            The creative arts are not only important due to educational reasons but for emotional reasons as well. Through my research I came across a story that I found very touching. A young man talked about his-self and his life with the arts. “Adolescence
is
a
hard
time
for
all
of
us.
I
know
I
had
it
rough.
At
16
I
was
a
350‐pound
fat
kid
with
bad
acne
whose
only
friends
were
girls.
I
sucked
at
sports, but
excelled
in
choir… I
was
only
16…
I
decided
that
there
was
no
answer.
I
became
depressed
and
started
thinking
about
suicide
a
lot. one
Monday
in
school, our
choir
teacher
told
us
that
we
would
be
participating
in
the
entertainment
tent
when
the
Art
Train
came
to
town.
Yes! There
I
was, standing
up
on
a
makeshift
stage
in
a
tent
doing
a
monologue
from
“Death
of
a
Salesman”
and
looking
out
into
a
crowd
of
strangers
who
were
crying.
Later, as
I
was
telling
jokes,
those
strangers
were
laughing.It
is
hard
to
describe
the
feeling
I
felt
as
I
stood
in
that
dark
room
sharing
laughter
and
tears
with
a
crowd
of
strangers.When
it
was
my
turn
to
board
the
train
and
see
the
artwork,
I
was
filled
with
excitement
and
a
sense
of
awe.
As
I
walked
down
the
corridors
looking
at
the
beautiful
works,
I
was
stopped
by
a
reproduction
of
Michelangelo’s
painting
“Creation
of
Man.”
I
stood
there
for
a
long
time
with
tears
in
my
eyes
until
they
eventually
ran
down
my
cheeks.”(Tony Babin 1) The arts connect with everyday people struggling with things whether it is school, self-image, family or friend problems and so forth. They provide an emotional headway for adolescence and the arts can even touch hearts as shown in this example. “Doing arts and crafts projects increases children's self-esteem and creativity. Children need the opportunity to express themselves; this helps increase their self-confidence as well as providing them with an outlet for expressing negative emotions.”(EHow Living Well 9) The arts help serve as a way to let adolescence get things off their chest emotionally that may be too tough to just come out and say. Referring to the arts “It can improve lives by helping people improve their mental, emotional, and even physical states.” (Arttherapyblog 6) This particular statement came from an art therapy blog so it show that the arts not just only help emotionally healthy people but can also help emotionally damaged people. By improving mental health I imagine someone would be much happier. Also with sicknesses like bi-polar disorders it creates a safer way to express emotions. The arts help these people to get their feelings across and improve their safety.

            From the “everyday” people view many of my friends give logical reason to why the arts help them emotionally and educationally. “When it feels like I am lost and I have nowhere to turn and I need to get my emotions out I either sing or draw. I cannot get in trouble for singing loudly to express negative emotions or upbeat to express positive emotions. When I draw it feels like I get all my emotions out I need to.” (Hannah Tompkins). She makes it understandable that the arts are a way of personal expression and everything you have bundled up inside you can get out on your own terms in your own way. “They (the arts) help us to define ourselves and times…”(Charles Fowler 7) When you define yourself you get more of a perspective and more emotional stability. (Charles Fowler 7) Who are we? The arts help us to define this and achieve positive, good emotions. A very good example of this would be Maya Angelou “She was abused… and because of this she stopped speaking… she then began to write.” (achievement.org) Through her traumatic childhood she went through things that prevented her from speaking, so she defined and expressed herself through the creative form of writing. The arts helped her pull through find strengths and most importantly find a voice when she needed it most.

            As far as educational and emotional success and achievement the arts can play a big role in surpassing these challenges. Emotionally adolescents turn to it too get across emotions that may be too difficult to be vocal with. Educationally it help the brain develop better and helps develop neurobiological systems. Without the arts what would the adolescence generations turn to? Would creativity and educational strive die out? Remember “The Earth without art is just eh.”